Fibre preparation for wad or felt manufacture



Aug- 5, 196 e. F. FLANAGAN FIBRE PREPARATION FOR WAD OR FELT MANUFACTURE- Filed Nov. 14. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Aug. 5, 1969 5. F. FLANAGAN FIBRE PREPARATION FOR WAD OR FELT MANUFACTURE Filed Nov. 14. 1966 I 4 Sheet s-Shee'c 2 Aug. 5; 1969 s. F. FLANAGAN 3,453,906

FIBRE PREPARATION FOR WAD QR FELT MANUFACTURE 4 Sheets-She d. 3

Filed Nov. 14, 1966 Aug. 5, 1969 I F. FLANAGAN FIBRE PREPARATION FOR WAD OR FELT MANUFACTURE Filed Nov. 14. 1966 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 United States Patent 3,458,906 FIBRE PREPARATION FOR WAD 0R FELT MANUFACTURE George Francis Flanagan, Pascoe Vale, Victoria, Australia, assignor to Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization, East Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, a body corporate Filed Nov. 14, 1966, Ser. No. 594,227 Claims priority, application Australia, Nov. 15, 1965, 66,549/ 65 Int. Cl. D04h 11/00; Dlllb 3/04 US. Cl. 19163 9 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Apparatus is provided for forming a uniform felt on batt; the apparatus includes a web distributing device which is reciprocated across the mouth of a rotating conduit and deposits a layer of fibers thereover. Each layer overlaps the mouth of the conduit and is forced therethrough by each added layer. Any portion of the layers of fibers extending outwardly from the conduit mouth is trimmed therefrom.

This invention relates to the preparation of wads of fibres preparatory to the or as part of the manufacture of felt, particularly wool felt. In this specification the term wool will be used in relation to the fibres suitable for the invention but it is to be appreciated that the invention is suitable to form wads of other fibres and is thus not limited to wool.

In wool felt manufacture, scoured dry wool is passed through a machine known as a card which produces the wool in the form of a thin web of constant Width (e.g. 80 inches). The web is laid on a moving belt upon which many layers of web are lapped to produce a batt or wad of the required thickness. The lapping may be simple straight lapping or two cards may feed the same lap simultaneously, one laying a straight web While the other lays a web in a cross-wise or zig-zag fashion. As these machines are well known to those skilled in the art they will not be described here in detail. The advantage of cross-lapping is that the physical properties, in particular strength and extensibility, of the sheet felt formed from the cross-lapped wad are more uniform with respect to direction of straining.

It is the object of this invention to provide a means of lapping or forming the card web such that a wad of the required thickness may be produced continually instead of being limited in length to the length of the lapper belt as in conventional machines.

The invention comprises feeding the Web from a card and laying it under pressure back and forth across the entry mouth of a conduit through which the layered web is forced as the operation proceeds.

One method of laying the wool under pressure is to provide means of closing the entry mouth of the conduit except for a narrow opening the full width of the web such that the web is drawn in as the closing means moves across the wad already in the conduit, but, because the opening is narrow, the wad cannot pass out through it, even though it is under pressure.

By lapping or forming the wad under pressure, rather 3,458,906 Patented Aug. 5, 1969 "ice than freely laying the wad, the formed wad can be at least partially felted 'whilst in the conduit.

The invention provides a method of preparation of fibres, particularly wool fibres for the formation of felt bars of various cross-sectional shapes, including methods of forming cylindrical bars of felt described in our prior Australian patent applications Nos. 40,199/ 64, 40,310/64 and 54,795/65.

This invention also provides a method by which it is possible to assemble the card web in layers perpendicular to the axis of the circular felt bar to be formed so that felt discs sliced from felt made from the bar will have the fibres laid substantially as in discs cut from felt sheets or slabs.

A feature of the invention is to trim the assembled fibres to a circular cross-sectional shape as the wad is formed, so that the wool removed in the trimming operation may be returned to the card and reused, thereby limiting waste therefrom.

Another feature of the invention is to lay the card web in layers with the direction of carding of the different layers lying at various angles to one another so that the physical properties of the felt formed is substantially equal along all diameters.

The invention can also provide a method of forming a wad wherein the card web, as it is fed into the conduit, is held by means associated therewith to limit any tendency of the web to move relative to the conduit after it is positioned therein.

The invention is particularly applicable to continuous processes but may also be used for the formation of lengths of material, particularly lengths equal to the length of the conduit.

In order that the invention may be more readily understood and put into practice, several embodiments of applications of the invention will be described in relation to the accompanying drawings in which:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the apparatus in one of its forms;

FIGURE 2 is a view along line 2-2 of FIGURE 1 showing the feeding aperture at one end of its movement;

FIGURE 3 is a section along line 33 of FIGURE 1 showing the drive arrangement for the cutters;

FIGURE 4 is a section along line 44 of FIGURE 1 showing the drive arrangement for the conduit;

FIGURE 5 is a view similar to that of FIGURE 1 although on a larger scale and partly in section;

FIGURE 6 shows a form of arrangement alternative to that of FIGURE 1 wherein the laying plate is stationary whilst the remainder of the apparatus moves;

FIGURE 7 is a plan view of an alternative form of arrangement where the laying plate is replaced -by a plurality of rollers;

FIGURE 8 is an elevational view of the arrangement of the FIGURE 7;

FIGURE 9 is a modified arrangement which operates in a manner similar to that of FIGURE 7 and FIGURE 8; and

FIGURES 10 to 13 illustrate a further modification showing a specific arrangement of control members.

The embodiment shown in FIGURES 1 to 4 is arranged to form a circular wad although as will be explained hereafter, this is a preferment of the invention and is not critical. The arrangement comprises a conduit 1 which is mounted in a frame 2 and is stabilized therein by a plurality of centring wheels 3 which are mounted on supports extending from the frame. The conduit 1 is mounted for rotation relative to the frame and in order to achieve this, there is provided a spur gear 5 which extends outwardly from the conduit part way along its length and which is in connection by a chain 6 to an electric motor 7 with speed reducing gears, not illustrated, which motor is mounted exteriorly of the frame 2.

Positioned at the upper end of the conduit 1 is a plurality of pin members 8 which may be fixed pins extending upwardly from the conduit or may be the combs of a plurality of cutter members 9 positioned adjacent thereto which cutter members 9 have cutter blades moving closely adjacent the pins or combs whereby any material extending outwardly therefrom is removed.

Referring specifically to FIGURE 3 it can be seen how these cutter members are driven by a chain 10 which meshes with gears 11 associated with each cutter member, the chain 10 being controlled by two gear members 12 mounted on the frame and the chain is driven by an electric motor 13 mounted exteriorly of the frame. It can be seen that in this arrangement rotation of the conduit 1 does not affect the driving of the cutter members and the conduit can, in fact, be rotated when the cutter members are stationery and the rotation will only cause a slow movement of the cutters.

Positioned across the top of the conduit is a plate 14 which is preferably formed of polished stainless steel and which has a slot 15 with rolled edge 16 formed therein. As can be seen from FIGURE 5, the edges 16 defining the slot are arranged so as to permit smooth passage therethrough of a carded wool web 24, as will be described hereafter. The plate 14 is mounted between rollers 17 positioned on the frame and may thereby move forward and back relative to these rollers, the limits of this movement being provided by stops not shown. The movement is obtained in the embodiment illustrated by means of a reciprocating hydraulic motor 18.

The plate 14 is positioned closely adjacent the upper end of the needles or combs 8 as will be described hereafter. In the embodiment of FIGURE 1 there is shown a conveyor 19 which is adapted to carry a carded wool web 24 to the slot 15 and this conveyor may be movable with the plate 14 whereby the fall of the web to the slot is always substantially vertical or, as illustrated, it may be positioned at some location fixed relative to the frame so that the wool therefrom must assume various angular positions to pass through the slot 15.

In order to prepare the wad for subsequent felting, the embodiment of the invention is provided with a pair of tubes 21 and 22 fixed relative to the plate 14 and located on either side of the slot 15 and having outlets adjacent the slot. The tubes are adapted to deliver to the wad before it passes to the conduit 1 steam or some non-corrosive chemical which can aid felting. Each tube is provided witth valve means, not illustrated, whereby the supply of steam or chemical is from the tube adjacent the side of the wad which will be downwardly directed in the conduit, the valves being operated by the plate 14 as it reaches each end of its movement.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURE 6 is rather similar to that of FIGURES 1 to 5 but differs therefrom in that the plate 25 is fixed and the conduit 26 together with its driving equipment reciprocates relative to the plate. As illustrated, the reciprocatory motion is obtained from a push rod 27 which is attached to a bearing 28 which receives a suspension member 29 which is in the form of an annular disc positioned about the conduit 26 and connected thereto. In this arrangement the drive is obtained from one or two motors which are spaced from the device and one of the drive shafts 30 is conjnected by way of a chain 31 to the cutter members. The other drive 32 carries a sprocket 33 which is connected by a chain 34 to a chain wheel 35 which extends around the conduit 26 and may preferably be connected to the suspension member 29.

Apart from the variation in orientation, the operation of this embodiment is identical to that of the embodiment of FIGURES l to 5 and will be described further hereinafter.

FIGURES 7 and 8 show a further embodiment in which the metal plate is replaced by a plurality of rollers.

In the example of FIGURES 7 and 8 there are six such rollers 36 each of which carry a pinion 37 at each end thereof and the pinions 37 mesh with racks 38 positioned on either side of the apparatus. The rollers 36 are mounted in a frame 39 which is reciprocated by a drive shaft 40.

A pair of shield members 41 are positioned between the centre rollers to ensure that the carded wool 42, which is being fed to the apparatus, is fed cleanly.

In this embodiment the wad formed 43 is substantially flat and the lower surface of the wad is defined by the upper run 44 of a conveyor and the top of the conduit 45 is of any suitable material.

The embodiment of FIGURE 9 is effectively identical to the embodiment of FIGURES 7 and 8 except that endless belts 46 are positioned about each set of the rollers 36 so that a smooth surface is presented to the top of the wad 43 as will be described hereinafter.

The embodiment illustrated in FIGURES 10 to 13 relates to a specific arrangement which is functionally described in relation to its operation and thus this embodiment will not be further described until the operation of the earlier embodiments are described.

Returning now to the embodiments of FIGURES 1 to 5, this apparatus is designed to form a cylindrical wad of felt in which the layers of carded wool forming the felt have a continuously varying orientation. It will be understood that if cylindrical felt was made with the carded wool always laid in the same diametral direction, the wad would not shrink uniformly during felting because, as is well known, the fibres lie predominantly in the lengthwise direction of the carded wool. Thus the finished felt would not be circular in cross-section and, furthermore, the mechanical properties of the felt would differ along different diametral directions.

In operation the conveyor 19 is started as are motors 7 and 13 and hydraulic motor 18 and the web 24 is passed through the slot 15 at one side of the conduit 1. The movement of the plate 14 causes the web 24 to pass across the upper surface of the conduit whereby it is held by frictional control against the previously laid wool which, in turn is held by the combs or pins 8. The plate 14 has a polished surface to permit pressure against the wool in the conduit so the web being laid grips the wool previously laid while the plate slides thereover. On the return movement, a further layer of web is positioned thereover and because the plate 14 is close to the upper surface of the combs or pins 8, the second layer tends to force the first layer into the conduit.

As the layers are built up the portions of the web which extend beyond the conduit are cut off by the cutters 9 so that the carded wool can move into the body of the conduit as a wad having the same cross-section as the conduit.

Whilst the plate 14 is reciprocating and the additional layers of carded wool are being positioned in the conduit the conduit and its contents are rotated relative to the plate 14 by motor 7. The individual layers of carded wool are thus laid at relatively difierent orientations and so that the wad generally has a uniform composition. As the plate 14 is polished there is little resistance to this rotation.

If desired, the carded wool passing to the mouth of the conduit 1 may be sprayed with steam or any noncorrosive chemical which aids felting, such as a detergent solution, and to supply this steam or chemical to the material, the tubes 21 and 22, which are illustrated in FIG- URE 2, are connected to a source of the steam or chemical through a valve or valves whereby supply is cut off as the outlets approach the cutters at the edge of the conduit and pass beyond these.

When beginning the lapping process a temporary wad is positioned in the conduit to provide a support and frictional gripping for the web being laid.

In practice it has been found that the layering as described in relation to this embodiment is satisfactory when the wad is to be used for polishing wheels or the like as the variation in the direction of layering not only ensures that the completed felt is of maximum strength but also that the felt has substantially constant properties along all diameters.

The length of the combs or the pins 8 can be varied depending on the application, but in practice, approximately /z of length ensures that the carded wool is well held in the conduit and thus is satisfactory in service.

The carded wool which is cut off by the cutters 9 can be returned to the carding machine for refeed to the apertured plate.

The embodiment of FIGURE 6 can be considered to work identically to that of FIGURES 1 to 5 and differs therefrom only in that the feeding of the carded wool 24 is simplified as this is fed at all times to a single position whilst the mechanics of the conduit 26 are slightly more complicated as it is necessary for the conduit drive and the cutter drive to be readily movable. It can be seen from FIGURE 6 that the drive shafts are 30 and 32 and these may be connected by way of universal joints or the like to the motors concerned, or they may be directly connected thereto in which case a flexible power connection would be needed for the motors. The actual operation of this embodiment apart from this modification is identical to that of the previous embodiment and the wad formed is similar thereto.

The embodiment of FIGURES 7 and 8 differs from the earlier embodiments both in arrangement and application. In arrangement the apertured plate is replaced by a plurality of rollers 36 which reciprocate about the open end of the conduit and in which the centre rollers have associated therewith shield members 41 through which the carded wool web 42 is passed. The rollers are driven by racks 38 and pinions 37 so that when the frame 39 in which the rollers are positioned is reciprocated by rod 40 the rollers keep a continuous pressure onto the previously laid carded wool and also ensure that the wool is laid evenly and extends right to the forward and rearward edges of the conduit at each extreme of movement.

The difference in application is that the embodiment is designed for the manufacture of sheet felt or felt of rectangular cross-section, where the folded edge of the wad may be used without trimming. The apparatus illustrated is designed to form a wad in which the layers are not perpendicular to the thickness of the felt to be formed. The conduit in this case is bounded on its lower side by a conveyor 44 which is at an angle to the rollers and, as can be seen from examination of FIGURE 8, when the wad is felted, it would have a structure in which the web layers are substantially in the plane of the felt surface.

The diameter of the rollers is a little larger than the pitch diameter of the pinions to ensure that the web 42 is positively placed over the surface of the conduit without being pushed by the rollers in the direction of their travel.

The arrangement of FIGURE 9 is substantially identical to that of FIGURE 8 except that belts 46 are positioned about the rollers on either side of the centre line between which the web 42 passes and enters the top of the conduit. This arrangement in some applications has an advantage over the arrangement of FIGURES 7 and 8 in that an even pressure is applied to the surface of the wad at all times so that the wad tends to be evenly packed, although the embodiment of FIGURE 8 shows an arrangement such that some felting can well occur in the conduit and if felting does occur, this simplifies the handhng of the wad as it leaves the apparatus.

The web used'in association with the embodiments of FIGURES 7 and 8 and FIGURE 9 may be a preformed composite web if it is desired that the wad, on felting, has uniform properties in different directions. The composition web may, for example, be of zig-zag or crossed form.

Turning now to the embodiment of FIGURES 10 to 13, this arrangement can be used with either the embodiment of FIGURES 7 and 8 or the embodiment of FIGURE 9 and is adapted simply to ensure that the carded wool ex tends the required distance at each end of movement of the rollers and is folded neatly.

The arrangement comprises a pair of guide plates 47 and 48 which are movable towards or away from the roller on the opposite side of the entrance. Thus, in FIGURE 1 the plate 48 is moving towards the roller identified at 36' such that at the ends of the movement in the particular direction, as illustrated in FIGURE 11, the plate 48 is substantially in contact with the roller 36 and the carded wool 42 has been positioned close to the edge of the pre- VlOllS rows of the carded wool.

Upon the return movement the plate 48 moves away from this position once the roller 36 has pinched the end of the layer of carded wool and this is shown in FIGURE 12. In FIGURE 13, the plate 47 starting to move inwardly and downwardly so that at the extreme of movement in the direction illustrated, this plate will operate in the same way as plate 48 in FIGURE 11.

This function is achieved in the embodiment of FIG- URES 1 to 5 and FIGURE 6 by the rolled edge 16 of the slot in the plate as the action of this edge on the web causes folding, which may be erratic but this is not objectionable as the portion of the web extending beyond the conduit is later removed.

In each of the embodiments illustrated the web is delivered to a single wad forming machine but it is to he understood that in practice a wide web may be formed and this web can either be divided to feed a plurality of machines at the one time or can be used to feed a plurality of machines through a single slot.

Also in the embodiments illustrated which use an apertured plate we have shown the plate as being a single member. It is to be understood that in practice the plate may be made of several components and it may also be possible to arrange the components so that their relative orientat1on varies during the movement thereof, such as by the trailing plate component lifting to clear the web.

What is claimed is:

1. A method of forming a wad of fibres for use in a subsequent felting process comprising the steps of:

(a) advancing a carded wool web across the end of a conduit,

(b) reciprocating the web and the conduit relative to each other in a direction generally normal to the longitudinal axis of the conduit, whereby the web is deposited in the conduit in layers generally normal to the longitudinal axis of the conduit,

(0) relatively rotating the conduit and the web about the conduits longitudinal axis, whereby adjacent web layers in the conduit are at different lay angles to one another,

(d) removing any web portion which lies outside of the peripheral boundary of the end of said conduit from the web, whereby the remainder of the web will conform to the cross-section of the conduit and can progressively pass into the conduit.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduit and the web are continuously rotated relative to each other.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the conduit and the web are intermittently rotated relative to each other.

4. The method of claim 1 including the additional step of:

(a) delivering steam or a chemical to the web just prior 7 to its entry into the conduit, whereby felting of-the wad is facilitated.

5. An apparatus for forming wads of fibres for use in a subsequent felting process including:

(a) an open ended conduit,

(b) means for reciprocating a carded wool web across the end of the conduit,

(6) means for producing relative movement between the end of the conduit and the reciprocating means of (b), said movement being generally normal to the longitudinal axis of the conduit,

, (d) means for producing relative rotation, about the longitudinal axis of the conduit, between said conduit and said reciprocating means,

(e) means for removing any web portion which lies outside of the peripheral boundary of the end of said conduit from the web.

6. The apparatus of claim 5 wherein:

(a) said (b) reciprocating means is a plate having a slot therein.

7. The apparatus of claim 5 including,

(a) means at the conduit end to retain and position the web.

8. The apparatus of claim 7 wherein said (a) means are tooth-like projections integral with the conduit.

9. The apparatus of claim 5 including (a) means for injecting a treating fluid onto a web passed by the reciprocating means.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 928,563 7/1909 Thoens 100-80 955,542 4/ 1910 Phelps 10080 1,003,114' 9/1911 Kirchhotf 100-80 XR 1,079,683 11/1913 Wood 100---80 1,833,811 11/1931 Allen et a1. 19106 3,131,437 5/1964 Meiuicke 19156.4

FOREIGN PATENTS 236,731 7/1911 Germany. 863,919 1/ 1953 Germany.

20 DORSEY NEWTON, Primary Examiner US. Cl. X.R. 

